How to Eat your way through OKC
From an outsider's point of view, Oklahoma City may not be at the top of their “places I want to travel” list. It's in the middle of nowhere, you rarely get a direct flight, the weather is crazy and the politics might not be favorable. However, I, an Oklahoman raised in OKC, would argue that the middle of nowhere-ness actually fuels the drive of locals to get creative in their culinary pursuits. When there's not much else to do other than go out to eat, the restaurants have to be good, right?
You’re here for a weekend, I’ll help build your cuisine itinerary.
Start your Saturday morning early, pop into Kitchen 324, and put your name down for breakfast. There may or may not be a wait. I suggest ordering the “giant buttermilk pancake.” It's literally massive and extremely thick. It's probably a good idea to share with the table! For your main course, you can’t go wrong with the open-faced toast. I mean shaved black forest ham, poached eggs, gruyere, thyme béchamel, with a side of crispy potatoes is a combination from heaven! If you’re feeling something sweet to wash it down, my mom would tell you to order the hot chocolate. It's made with real shaved chocolate and steamed milk.
Hopefully, the Oklahoma weather will cooperate while you're in town, and you can walk around downtown for a while before lunch. If you need extra fuel (or you hope to counteract your breakfast), pop into Wheeze the Juice! It's my personal favorite place for smoothies and cold-pressed juices. I would recommend the Princess Peach (Orange juice, grapefruit juice, strawberry, peach, pear) with double orange juice or the Berry Bonds. (Almond milk, yogurt, blueberry, strawberry, blackberry, raspberry, agave). They're both delicious!
For lunch, there are tons of options. I’ll throw out a list of my favorites and you can go wherever your heart desires. The Hall’s Pizza Kitchen - get the lunch special with Burrata, Ceasar salad, and a slice of Saturday Night. The Arnold Palmer is the best drink for lunch. If you’d prefer a warm bowl of Pho for lunch, make your way to Pho Lien Hoa and order a “p9 Pho Chin.” It's a big bowl of beef soup with rice noodles and lean brisket. Add a handful of bean sprouts, a squeeze of lime wedge, and drizzle siracha all over the top. I promise you won't be disappointed.
You’ll probably be stuffed, so a late dinner will be perfect. In true Oklahoman style, you can go to Cattlemans Steakhouse for the atmosphere and old cowboy stories, Tuckers Onion Burgers for the best burger you’ll ever have in your life, Goro Ramen in the Paseo District for yummy ramen and Bao buns, or The Jones Assembly for hearty American food (the biscuits are insane), fun drinks and live music. There are so many suggestions I could tell you about but start here.
The ONLY way to end your night is at Braum's. Every Oklahoman is a fan of Braum's. Seriously, most school children literally visit the Braums farm in Tuttle, Oklahoma. It's the tastiest, creamiest, freshest ice cream you’ll ever have.
“Braum’s Ice Cream and Dairy Stores… the name is synonymous with visions of scrumptious ice cream, giant hamburgers, dairy fresh milk, and fresh baked goods,” reads the Braums’ website.
Anthony Bourdain: The coolest cook ever
Audiobooks have always seemed painfully boring to me. I go through phases of being a “reader,” but I have never been interested in any sort of audiobook. That was until one of my good friends mentioned listening to Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain on a recent road trip of hers. Immediately my ears perked up as I am a massive Bourdain fan and always wanted to read the book that launched him into fame.
Fortunately, I was about to go on a 20+ hour road trip with my family back out to California from Oklahoma. What better way to pass time than listening to my first audiobook- Kitchen Confidential? We loaded the car, hit the road, and somewhere near Stillwater, Oklahoma, we pressed play. I was overjoyed to hear Bourdain’s voice again.
I was in high school when I first discovered Anthony Bourdain. His show “Parts Unknown” would play on the television and I found myself mesmerized by his unique storytelling, his humor, and how he connected with all kinds of people through food. I looked up to him, I wanted to be him. He was funny, smart, and empathic while still being the cynical, leather jacket-wearing cook from New York. I loved him.
His show “Parts Unknown” took viewers all around the world- Myanmar, Budapest, The Philippines, Senegal and Montana and everywhere in between. As someone from Oklahoma, the midwest can feel a bit isolated from the rest of the world. Luckily, through my education in school, some travel, and Bourdain’s storytelling I've been exposed to more cultural diversity (faith, foods, music), people with different socioeconomic backgrounds and political views, different languages and landscapes and more. It's all helped to broaden my worldview. He even helped me get more adventurous with food- I started eating fish because of him!
Young Anthony Bourdain. Courtesy of PaperCity magazine.
Bourdain’s Hanoi, Vietnam episode was my guide when I had the opportunity to travel there in high school. I curled up on the couch a few days before we left to watch and take notes on what and where he ate. I made it a point to eat at the Bun Cha Huong Lien restaurant where Bourdain and former president Barack Obama ate pho and drank beer.
Bourdain in Hanoi. Courtesy of The New Yorker.
I was devastated when he died in 2018. I remember going to high school cross country practice in tears. One of my biggest inspirations had died. I thought, “I’m never going to hear his stories in his voice again.”
Back to Kitchen Confidential. I listened to the whole book with my mom. The book was so much better because he narrated it himself. We genuinely enjoyed hearing more about Bourdain’s background and how his childhood and young adult experiences lead him to be a chef. His stories were funny, raunchy, crass and heartfelt. The best combination in my eyes.
More recently, I have enjoyed the posthumous documentary about his life and impact, Roadrunner. I felt good to see him and hear stories again.
All this to say, if you are a person who likes food and are curious about the world and foreign cuisine, you need to familiarize yourself with Anthony Bourdain. He is simply the coolest person in the culinary world.
Contra Coffee and Tea: Orange’s most adorable taproom
The Beginning
I used to hate coffee. I have an extremely clear memory from my childhood when one morning as I was playing in the backyard, my stepdad came outside to play with me, but his right hand was busy holding his ceramic coffee cup. I looked inside and the steamy black liquid looked and smelled disgusting. I’m still not exactly sure why, but I asked to take a sip. He warned me that it was hot and that I wouldn’t like it. In hindsight, he was right, of course. A piping hot cup of black coffee is not something a kid would like. As the coffee touched my lips, it stung and my face pursed when I finally had the courage to gulp it down. He was laughing at me. I immediately said, “it tastes like wood!” and I would stick by that assessment for over 10 years.
I refused to drink any coffee: hot, iced, black, americano, latte, etc. I just wouldn’t do it. Who would like that anyway? Probably people who were liars.
Things Change
Flash forward to February of 2020, one of my new friends at college, Julia, invited me to hangout at this coffee and tea shop called Contra. Immediately I was weary of going to a COFFEE shop to hangout, but I was determined for this older girl to think I was cool. It was raining that morning and our shoes sloshed as we took our first steps inside.
Immediately the gray sky outside was contrasted by the colorful and funky menu board. I was intrigued. Because it was my first time at Contra, Julia suggested ordering a “liftoff,” a flight of four mini glasses of teas and coffee of your choice. I almost couldn’t decide, not because I hated the idea of coffee, but because everything sounded good! If I remember correctly, I ordered a “Love Birds,” a coffee oolong milk tea, a “Princess Daisy,” a mango passionfruit green tea, and two other teas. We sat at the little light brown wood tables and white plastic chairs, talked about random things and enjoyed the uncommon rainstorm while sipping our drinks.
When the pandemic hit, I was forced to separate from my new favorite coffee and tea shop. Almost a whole year later, I was finally reunited with Contra. It was my first stop on my first morning back in town. I ordered a “Pink and White,” a strawberry oat milk latte. It was insanely tasty and made me just as happy as I remembered.
Today
Now, in March of 2022, I’ve tried everything on the menu and I’m constantly ordering drinks off the “specials” menu. I’ve become such a regular at Contra that the employees recognize me and suggest new drinks and combinations for me to try all the time.
A recent Instagram post from Contra Coffee and Tea.
The drinks at Contra are awesome, and that's mostly what keeps me coming back, but no one would return to a coffee shop almost every day if the environment was uninviting. Contra is the cutest shop in all of Orange. You can quote me on that.
The decorations and interior design is light and modern, similar to Ikea. That’s a compliment. There's a nice mixture of two-seat tables, long tables for 6-8 people (more collaborative) and little cubbies for people to sit in near the doors with little pillows and crates to sit or set your stuff on.
One of my favorite parts about Contra is how people can sit next to strangers, work on homework, read books, draw / illustrate, hold business meetings, or enjoy a date.
“It's unique, the concept is different than any other coffee shop I’ve ever seen,” said Vanessa Desrosiers, a Contra brewtender who attends Chapman University. “The community feel is what draws you back.”
Vanessa Desrosiers on the job at Contra.
The left side of the shop is lined in old black and white photos of Orange’s historic buildings and previous landscape. Little white buckets stuffed with plants hang by the doors and employees relax in green Hollywood style director chairs between rushes.
Contra Coffee and Tea in Orange, CA.
The right side of the shop is lined with six shelves, that are the length of the entire south wall, full of books for all ages. Books for children like Stella’s stellar hair and The day you begin are mixed with cookbooks, self-help books and biographies for adults. It's amazing.
The wall of books at Contra Coffee and Tea in Orange, CA.
What to Order:
If you’ve never been lucky enough to go to Contra, I have some recommendations.
A half “princess daisy,” half “Hey Arnold.” Best tea combo ever, and super refreshing.
In the mood for a coffee? Try their seasonal “Hunny Pot,” a honey cinnamon oat milk latte.
You can’t go wrong with a “Dirty Horchata,” the house horchata with espresso roast.
Feeling adventurous? You have to order a “Pink and White.”
The “Hunny Pot” drink from Contra.